A modest attempt to share our new lives as the parents of twins

Month: January 2015

When I was about 18 weeks pregnant, the doctor felt Scout’s head. With her hand. She was low. Like really, really low. When Scout was born, it was pretty apparent that she was wedged nicely in the birth canal for those last 20 weeks, because the back of her head was very flat.

For our first four monthly check-ups, I asked our pediatrician if Scout was going to need a baby helmet. Every time I asked (and looked like a horrible parent), the pediatrician said, “Nah, I think her head will start to round out. She should be fine.” That was up until her four month check-up (that’s a fun one, complete with five vaccines), when I was told that maybe it was worth meeting with a specialist. She gave me the telephone numbers of two different children’s hospitals within 40 minutes of us and told me to call and make an appointment. Bonus: Griffin was coming along for the ride. What kind of mother would I be if I only got a helmet for one of my children?

I called The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, scheduled an appointment with the craniofacial department, and brought both babies in with a diagnosis of deformational plagiocephaly. Say that three times fast. It’s fun and doesn’t sound scary at all. At all.

I’d like to preface this next part with the fact that I am not a defensive mother. This being said, I was so under prepared for the nastiness that came in with the doctor we met. I signed in, filled out 30 pages of paperwork (that’s 15 per child), went back to the examining room, and was met with the first monster of the morning, a lovely nurse practitioner who pointed out how big Griffin’s ears were and that he had a “giant” head. I’m not a doctor, but I’m pretty sure that “giant” isn’t a medical term used to describe the size of things. Thanks lady, you have a dumb haircut. She then told me that both babies would 100% qualify for helmets, but the doctor would need to come in and sign off on it. Well, come in and sign off he did.

You might think that while at the children’s hospital, the doctors and staff would be overly warm and understanding. You might be wrong. Said doctor spoke not to me, but only to the nurse practitioner, who then translated to me, because apparently I could never understand what this doctor was saying. Break it down for me, please. At one point, after being told the helmets would be for a purely cosmetic outcome (which was explained loudly and slowly to me, “it is just to make them look better”), I asked, “If these were your children, or I was someone you knew, what would you do?” “These are not my children, and you are not someone I know,” he reminded me. That’s right folks, this man was a doll. I am being kind enough not to post his name, but please know that I will gladly give it out via private message. Feel free to ask. From there, I packed the babies up and headed home with my scripts and letters of medical necessity (necessity is a fancy word that means needed. Another helpful translation from the nurse practitioner).

Fortunately, if we choose to go through with the helmets, we won’t have to see this doctor until we’re done the process. We’ll meet with a helmet maker, who will make all of the adjustments to the helmets. Hopefully her bedside manner is a little better than Dr. Crankypants.

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This huge Pack ‘N Play with bassinets has been amazing. The babies sleep up top, right next to each other, with a dividing wall that they can barely look over. Easy to move and just as easy to pack up and take on the road. Our twins have slept in them for almost six months and we’d be lost without it.

2. Skip Hop Grab and Go Stroller Organizer

It’s a simple pouch for holding anything we need quick access to while using the stroller. It’s neoprene too, which means you don’t have to be afraid of getting it a little messy. I can tell you first hand that when you spill juice(or a beer) in the pouch, it can easily be rinsed out, dried, and used again right away!

3. Baby Jogger 2014 City Select Stroller

Is there a better stroller for twins that can be used from their infancy to the toddler age? I don’t think so. Is there a more expensive stroller out there? I don’t think so. Because the seats can be used in so many different positions, it can’t be beat. And because it’s so narrow, you’ll never have to worry about not fitting through the doorway. It’s pretty light and easy to fold up. We could justify the costly price tag because we know it’s the first and last stroller that we will need.

4. Cuisinart Prep 11 Plus 11-Cup Food Processor

This thing is a beast. Its restaurant grade motor will chop, puree, and mash anything that comes in its path. And it can be used for way more than just baby food! Salsa will be so easy!

5. Skip Hop Grab and Go Double Bottle Bag

This little bag is well insulated and not too bulky, which made it perfect for our needs. I think you’ll feel the same way.

6. Summer Infant Wide View Digital Color Video Baby Monitor

A great monitor that we’ve been excited about since we first used it. It holds a charge for longer than we need and it offers a great wide angle view to watch your baby. Because of the positioning of the cribs in our nursery, we bought another camera. All we need to do is press a button on the monitor and we can see the view from the other camera. The cameras and monitor are small enough to be tucked away and taken with you and they take up very little room in our lives!

7. Skip Hop Grab and Go Wet/Dry Diaper Bag

Dirty, dripping bottles and used pump equipment goes right into the bag after we’ve used them on-the-go. Wet bib? Wet outfit? Throw them in the bag and keep your other stuff dry.

8. Green Sprouts By I Play 4 Oz. Polypropylene Food Storage Cubes

These little containers have been amazing so far. They refuse to leak, which is all I ask for!